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School of Optometry
IU

Research

Our eye and vision research helps us see into the future

We are home to one of the leading vision science programs in the world, with more than a dozen research labs and sought-after faculty who write the textbooks other schools teach.

Our researchers are leaders in optical corrections and treatments, cornea disorders, retinal disease, traumatic brain injury, pediatric vision, and more. Their work results not only in a high reputation for the school, but in better educated students and quality patient care.

Explore our research areas

Expert collaborators

Our vision scientists collaborate with schools and departments across the university and the world.

In addition to optometry, our work includes the study of biochemistry, biophysics, epidemiology, cell biology, imaging, molecular biology, neuroscience, optics, ophthalmology, pathology, physiology, psychology, psychophysics, statistics, and other disciplines that relate to vision and its problems.

Recent research activities

Researcher Nicholas Port assists a student athlete using a concussion detection device while Dr. Burns oversees laboratory research, alongside a microscope used for glaucoma research.

A portable tool to diagnose sideline concussions

By comparing an athlete’s baseline numbers with similar tests after a high-impact blow, the tester can quickly determine whether the athlete suffered a concussion.

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Non-invasive eye test for multiple diseases

Indiana University scientists with expertise in optometry and artificial intelligence are among the first three groups of researchers to receive support from a new program from the National Institutes of Health supporting the emerging field of “oculomics,” which uses the eye as a lens on diseases that affect the whole body.

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Improving the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma

IU researchers have created a new, noninvasive ophthalmoscopy method that allows eye care practitioners to visualize and directly count, for the first time, retinal ganglion cells that die in glaucoma.

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